When I was a kid, if you wanted to make some side money to supplement your allowance, your only option was a lemonade stand. I remember spending many a summer weekend, walking uphill in the blistering heat (uphill both ways) to scout out the best spot to setup my stand. At the end of a very long day of smiling and pouring lemonade (that was usually Minute Maid hidden in a plastic pitcher), you would be lucky to walk away with $15. Right? Who else remembers doing this?
Well apparently, the times they are a-changin'.
Nowadays, if a kid wants to make some extra money, he or she just needs to launch a YouTube channel. And I'm not talking about a few dollars. As you're about to find out, today both kids and adults are taking home massive paychecks by attracting billions of views to their video channels.
And you don't even need to do anything crazy or elaborate to earn lots of money off YouTube. Two of the top earners listed below make their money by simply opening up packages of toys!
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images
BTW, if you're over the age of 25, don't feel bad if you've never heard any of the people on this list. If it wasn't my job to stay on top of this stuff, I would never have heard of any of them. But just take my word for it – YouTube stars have taken over the world.
Today when a brand wants to promote their product or service, YouTube is their first stop. Traditional celebrities, hit the bricks. And not only are these YouTubers making tons of money off the ads that are shown on their channels, they also make a killing from product placement and endorsements. Many of the top names on YouTube easily can earn more than $20,000 to mention a brand in one video. PewDiePie earns even more.
#20: EvanTubeHD – $1.3 million (1.1 billion views)
#19: Bethany Mota – $1.6 million (550 million views)
#18: Crazy Russian Hacker – $1.8 million (577 million views)
#17: PrankvsPrank – $2.3 million (1.1 billion views)
#16: The Fine Bros – $2.4 million (2.8 billion views)
#15: Tobuscus – $2.5 million (1.1 billion views)
#14: Vegetta777 – $2.6 million (2.4 billion views)
#13: TheRadBrad – $2.7 million (1.4 billion views)
#12: CaptainSparklez – $2.8 million (1.9 billion views)
#11: Jenna Marbles – $3 million (1.7 billion views)
#10: HolaSoyGerman – $3 million (1.8 billion views)
#9: UberHaxorNova – $3.1 million (1.5 billion views)
#8: Kan & Aki – $3.2 million (1.3 billion views)
#7: TobyGames – $3.7 million (1.9 billion views)
#6: RayWilliamJohnson – $4 million (2.8 billion views)
#5: YOGSCAST (formerly BlueXephos) – $6 million (3 billion views)
#4: Smosh – $6 million (4.2 billion views)
#3: BluCollection – $6.5 million (3.2 billion views)
#2: PewDiePie – $9 million (8.2 billion views)
#1: DisneyCollectorBR – $13 million (5.8 billion views)
